Paris 2024, women’s volleyball: Italy overwhelms the United States and wins Olympic gold
Italy wins gold medal in women’s volleyball at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The National team of coach Velasco beats the United States in the final today, August 11, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-17) and wins the first Olympic title in its history. The triumph of volleyball at the Games gives the 40th medal to the Italian team in Paris: 12 golds, 13 silvers and 15 bronzes. Egonu, Sylla, Orro, Bosetti, Antropova, Danesi, Fahr and the rest of the Italian group put together a perfect performance, starting with the group stage and continuing with 3-0 victories in the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Serbia and Turkey.
The final
Italy starts off strong, with Sylla in charge: the Italian defense doesn’t let anything go, Egonu capitalizes in attack and the break (6-1) is served. The United States struggles to find gaps in the Italian wall, Drews and Skinner make repeated mistakes: the Italian volleyball team extends its lead (15-7) before running into a void that doesn’t change the inertia of the match. The partial 4-0 for the Americans is interrupted by Danesi’s wall (16-11) that freezes the attempt at a comeback. The Italian attack, after the perfect start, begins to struggle against the American wall: the match (18-15) reopens. Antropova’s insertion is providential, leaving her mark (20-16) and launches the blues towards the finish line: 25-18.
The USA tries to blitz at the start of the second set (3-1), but the escape does not take off (3-3). Compared to the first set, the challenge is much more balanced. As soon as the Italian defense raises its level, Italy extends (16-12). Bosetti nails 3 golden balls to the ground (21-17) and the second set is also blue: 25-20 with the seal of Egonu.
The United States, with their backs to the wall, tried to make a maximum effort at the start of the third set in a point-to-point challenge (6-6). A star-studded wall of Danes breaks the balancewhich gives the cue to the decisive maxi break (12-6). The USA stays in the slipstream (16-12), but cannot find solutions to close the gap. The Italians fly with Sylla’s goals (22-15) and close: 25-17, the Italian volleyball team is the gold medalist.
Paris 2024, Meloni: “The Italian volleyball players are back to making us dream, extraordinary”
“Our Italian volleyball team, playing an impeccable match, have made us dream again with a historic victory that gives Italy its twelfth gold. Extraordinary!” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote this in X, celebrating the success of the women’s national volleyball team at the Paris Olympics.
Paris 2024, Vannacci: “Well done Egonu, I confirm that his features do not represent Italianness”
On social media they bring me up after the victory of the women’s national volleyball team? “They should read my book, I have never doubted that Paola Egonu is a very good athlete, Italian. I continue to reiterate that her physical features do not represent the majority of Italians. But I have never doubted her nationality, her skill. I am proud that she competes for us”. These are the words of the general and MEP of the League Roberto Vannacci, questioned by Adnkronos after the conquest of gold by the women’s national volleyball team at the Olympic Games in Paris.
In a note, Vannacci then remarked: “I have never doubted that (Egonu, ed.) is a great Italian athlete, of Nigerian origin, an origin of which I believe she herself is proud, and that this peculiarity shines through in her physical features. But this does not change anything about her skill and the fact that she helped us, together with all our fantastic girls, to win the gold, for me there is no controversy. At the first opportunity I will also ask her for an autograph”.
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